Railway-switch.



PATENTED APR. 30, 1907.

0. A. BIRD.- RAILWAY SWITCH. APPLICATION FILED nuns, 1907.

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0. A. BIRD.

RAILWAY SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED JAILIG, 1907.

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RAILWAY-SWITCH- Specification of Letters Patent.

ratented April 30, 1907.

Application filed January 16,1907. Serial No. 352,559.

To (ti/Z whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ORLEY A. BIRD, a citi- 1gen of the United States,residing at Centerurg, Ohio, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Railway-Switches, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to railway switches and particularly to that classof switches used upon street railways and located at street corners.

The object of the invention is to provide a switch of this characterthat may be controlled by the motorman from the car.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a switch of thischaracter that may be controlled by the motorman from the ear andconstructed in such manner that the switch may be left open forfollowing cars or closed by the motorman as desired.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a switch of thecharacter set forth constructed in such manner that all of the partsthereof may be located beneath the surface of the road-bed andconsequently out of the path of vehicle wheels and the like.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in thedetailed description which now follows.

In the accompanying drawing: Figure 1 is a vertical section through theroadbed and through portions of a car, Fig. 2 is a plan View of thetrack and of the switch operating members illustrating a casing whichincloses said members, in section, Fig. 3 is a transverse verticalsection upon line ca; of Fig. 2, Fig. 4 is a partial longitudinalsection upon line y,y of Fig. 2, Fig. 5 is a rear end elevation of thecar, illustrating a switch closing yoke hereinafter described, and, Fig.6 is a plan view of the truck frame illustrating a rocking barhereinafter described.

Like numerals designate corresponding parts in all of the figures of thedrawing.

The numeral 5 (see Figs. 1 and 2) designates a grooved plate, the sidewall of which is cut through as at 6 for the reception of a tongue 7 ofa lever 8. This lever 8 is pivoted as at 9 in a casing 10 and is securedat its outer end to the end of a rod 11. This rod passes through acasing 12 and has an elongated slotted portion 13 at its opposite end.pin 14 which is carried by a rocking lever 15 engages this elongatedslotted portion of the rod 11. The rocking lever 15 is pivoted as at 16in a casing 17. A link 18 connects the opin the county of Knox and Stateof posite end of this rocking lover with a switch tongue 19, said switchtongue being normally forced toward the right in Fig. 3 by a spring 20.A second link 21. connects the l rock lever 15 with a switch closinglever 22 which is pivoted as at 23 in a slotted plate 24. By referringto Fig. 1, it will be seen that the J link 21. is pivoted as at 25 tothe switch throwing lever in such manner that its pivot point lis belowthe pivot point 23, by virtue of j which the switch throwing lever 22may be ,1 thrown to the dotted line position illustrated j at 26 in Fig.4 when the lever 15 is rocked. Carried upon the front truck 27 of thecar is a rocking bar 28. This rocking bar carries a i rearwardlyextending hooked rod 29, the hooked end 30 of which is adapted whendepressed, to engage the tongue 7 of the lever 1 An upwardly extendingarm 30 which is coni nected to the rocking bar 28 is connected by i arod 31 with a bell crank lever 32. This bell crank lever is pivoted asat 33 and is adapted to be depressed by a foot-piece 2 4 wlnch pro ectsll'ltO tllO motornians vestibule. A spring 35 normally tends to hold thehooked rod 20 in an elevated position. A yoke 36 (see Figs. 1 and 5, ispivoted between the side members of the rear truck 37. A spring 38normally holds this yoke in an elevated position. An arm 39 of the yokeis connected by a rod 40 with a bell crank lever 41 which is pivoted at42. A second foot plunger 43 is adapted to actuate the bell crank leverto throw the cross portion 36 of the yoke downwardly.

The operation of the device is as follows: WVhen the car is moving inthe direction of the arrow in Fig. 1, if it be desired to throw theswitch to direct the car on to the side track, the motorman presses uponthe foot piece 34. He presses the left end of the bell crank 32downwardly against the tension of the spring 35. This in turn throws thei hooked end 30 of the rod 29 down into such position that it ridesthrough the grooved portion of the plate 5 and engages the tongue 7,throwing said tongue to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 2. Thisin turn, rocks l the lever 15 u on its pivot 16 and brings said leverand the ink 18 into alinement with each 1 other, thereby moving theswitch tongue 19 1 over to the dotted line position illustrated in Fig.2. It will be apparent that when the link 18 and the lever 15 are indirect alinement with each other, it will be impossible l for the switchtongue to be moved over accirocking bar journaled in said truck,manually operable members controllable from the motormans stationadapted to rock said bar, a switch throwing hook carried by said bar, agrooved plate, a lever projecting into the grooved portion of said plateand adapted to be engaged by said hook throwing bar, a switch tongue,connections between said lever and said switch tongue, a switch closingmember adapted to be thrown up abovethe road-bed when said lever isactuated, and a manually operable member carried by the car and adaptedto strike said switch closing member.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with a switchtongue, of a rocking lever, a link connection between the switch tongueand said rocking lever, a

dentally, for these parts are then on a dead center with relation toeach other. WVhen l the rocking lever 15 is rocked in the manner justdescribed, the switch closing lever 22 is thrown upwardly by the link 21to the dotted line position illustrated in Fig. 1. If the car i lfollowing is also to be directed upon the side track, the motormanpermits the car to pass on without actuating the yoke 36, but if the carfollowing is to proceed along the main track, the motormanr depressesthe foot- 1 piece 43, rocking the bell crank lever 11 upon its pivot andthrowing the cross portion of the yoke 86 downwardly, thereby bringingthe yoke into such position that it will strike the switch closing lever22 and throwing said lever back to the full line position illustrated 1in Fig. 1, thereby returning the switch parts l to the positionillustrated in Fig. 2. switch closing lever, a link connection be- Itwill be noted that the switch engaging tween said switch closing leverand said rockrod 29 is carried upon the truck instead of ing lever, aswitch closing hook carried by a being carried by the car body. Byvirtue of 1 .car, a lever adapted to be engaged by said thisconstruction said rod is always held in l switch closing hook, and aconnecting member between the last named member and the proper alinementwith the grooved plate 5.

It will also be noted that the yoke 36 is carrocking member. ried uponthe truck and is consequently held in proper position to engage theswitch closing lever.

From the foregoing seen that simple and eflicient means are hereinprovided for accomplishing the objects of the invention, but while theelements shown and described are well adapted to serve the thecombination with a switch tongue, of mechanism connected to said switchtongue description, it will be and adapted to be actuated from a car, aswitch closing lever adapted to be elevated. when said mechanism isactuated, a yoke car i ried by the rear truck of the car, and manu- 1ally operable means for depressing a portion purposes for which they areintended, it is to l of'said yoke, said yoke being adapted to enbeunderstood that the invention is not limgage and depress the switchclosing member. ited to the precise construction set forth, but 1 Intestimony whereof I affiX my signature includes within its purview suchchanges as l in presence of two witnesses. may be made within the scopeof the append- ORLEY A BIRD ed claims. l

What I claim, is: i 1. In a switch operating mechanism, the combinationwith the truck of a car, of a Witnesses:

WM. D. SToUcHToN, LILLIE B. STOUGHTON.

3. In a device of the character described,

